Insect control



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wat a. aan, ver, accionar sneu l veloot Compa Sian i" e f @limi @f Mmmwir actuation as se, iste. al No. ddt@ This invention 'deals with a newinsect control composition oi' great utility and is ,f-:u concerned withsubstances suitable for use in household sprays.

Among the best known and moet useful insecticides'at present arepyrethrum and rotenone. These are both derived from plants grownprimarily in foreign countries and are therefore expensive and notalways obtainable in the desired quantities.

It is an object of the prt invention to provide an insecticide which canbe manufactured from readily available and inexpensive domesticmaterials. It is a further object of this invention to provide aninsecticide which, although not iastacting, is repellent and toxic. Aspecial object is to provide an insecticide oi unusual effectiveness inthe control of the larvae of moths. Other and further objects willappear as the description proceeds.

It has now been found that unsaturated alkyl nitriles having 14 to 30carbon atoms are edective as insecticides, Unsaturated nitriles havingi8 to 20 carbon atoms are more edective as insecticides than those with14 or 30. The unsaturated alkyl radicals may be straight, branched orallcarbocyclic, such as cetenylic, oleic, eicosenoic, laurylcyclohexenylic, cetyl cyclohexenylic, cetenyl cyclohexylic, cetenylcyclohexenylic, hexenyl dicyclohexylic, etc., radicals. If desired, thealkyl radical may contain additional toxic radicals. such as chlorine,sulfide, amino, lecto, hydroxyl, nitro, cyanate, etc., radicals., Thusricinoleic nitrile is among the compounds of this invention.

i A single nitrile or mixtures oi' several may be used for the purposeof the invention. Preferred nitriles are the straight-chain aliphaticnitrlles having a single olenic double bond, e. s., cetenylic, oleic,erucic, etc., ntriles.

Although i't will be understood that the nitriles of the instantinvention have wide application in the control oi various insects, theexamples set out in the table to follow are confined to the control ofclothes moths.

The method of testing used in evaluating the instant compounds asinothproof agents is tmovvn as the ,whole circle testI and is fullydescribed in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Analytical Edition,vol. 2, No. d, page 365, under the title "Methods oi testing mothproocom pounds. The method consists of placing a twoinch square of woolen.material, treated with the mothproong agent being tested,- in a petridish with ten black carpet beetle larvae (Attagenus which substances arerepellentthe fabric. in the set ci tests shown in the table,

the vvoolen squares were observed four weeks after addition ol thelarvae to the dishes. The woolen squares were treated by spraying eitherone-half or one cubic centimeter of the insecti cide onto the squareslfrom a distance of it inches, immediately hanging the squares up todry, and aging them by hanging in a screened case in the insecticidelaboratory until used for testing. The cacy oi the treatment isdetermined by the observed damage to the vlooien square and the amountof frase and lint produced, the latterl being a quantitative measure ofthe feeding done by the larvae.

The results shown in the table following show a comparison between oleicnitrile and four moth proofing insecticides of commerce:

Observed Semois Mothproong Amount fg'ig damage to number agent sprayedproduced wool test piece M zo sughi.

l 9 Moderate $5 20 uch.

l 16 Do. l/ 19 Do. 1 23 Do. it 2c Do, l 25 D0. 4 Slight.

3D 95% (small). io o l 4 None. ll Mineral spirits.. 1 s? Verymuch.

The repellent action ot the nitriles is indicated by the results in thefollowing table which show that the larvae of the Black Carpet Beetlewere deterred from feeding rather than eating and becoming poisoned.Testing was done in the same manner as described before and the sampletested consisted oi 5% oleic nitriles, 95% numeral spirits. Results wereas follows:

cant or repellent, the unsaturated nitriles oi the instant invention areuseful in conjunction with well-known insecticides and iungicides. Thusthe nitriles may be used in combination with py-` rethrum, rotenone,lead arsenate, nicotine, thiocyanates, isothiocyanates, coppernaphthenate, or the like.

The unsaturated nitriles may be applied to plants and animals in avariety of ways. For use as household insecticides, the nitriles may bedissolved in a light hydrocarbon oil such as kerosene or kerosenedistillate with or without the addition of other insecticides andsprayed. Ordinarily, from about 1% to 25% of the unsaturated nitrilesare used in suchspray oils.

. For use on plants, the nitriles may be dissolved in plant spray oilsand emulsiiied in water to produce sprayable emulsions. The commonemulsiiying agents such as glycerol mono-oleate, amine salts, sulfatedand sulfonated fatty and numeral oils, soaps, and the like, may be usedin combination with such sprays. In the same manner, the nitrilesthemselves, without the ad dition of oil, may be emuisified and used inplant spray insecticides. The nitriles may also be adsorbed by finelydivided solid materials, such as wood iiour, talc, clay, sulfur orcarbon black, and used as dusting insecticides.

I claim as my invention:

1 An insect control composition comprising a predominant amount ofmineral spirits and containing from 1% to 25% of an unsaturatedaliphatic ntrile having from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

2. A method of mothproofing wool comprising applying to it a smallamount of a composition containing as the active ingredient anunsaturated aliphatic nitrile having from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

3. A method of mothproong wool comprising applying to it a small amountof a composition comprising a major proportion of mineral spirits andcontaining from 1% to 25% of oleic nitrile.

4. A method of repeiling insects from an area. comprising treating thearea with a composition 'containing oieonitrile as an active essentia1ingredient.

5. A method of combating insects from an area comprising treating thearea with a composition containing as an active insecticidal ingredientan unsaturated aliphatic nitrile having from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

6. A method of combating insects from an area 4 ,f comprising treatingthe areat'vith a composition containing as an active insecticidalingredient an unsaturated straight chain aliphatic nitrile having from16 to 20 carbon atoms.

'l'. A method of combating insects from an area comprising treatingthearea with a composition containing as an active insecticidalingredient an unsaturated branched-chain aliphatic nitrile having from16 to 20 carbon atoms.

8. A method of combating insects from an area comprising treating thearea with a composition containing as an active insecticidal ingredientan unsaturated alicarbocyclic nitrile having from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

9. A method of combating insects from an area comprising treating thearea with a composition containing as an active insecticidal ingredienta mono-olenic aliphatic nitrile having from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

10. A method of combating insects from an area comprising treating thearea with a composition containing as an active insecticida] ingredienta mono-oleiinic straight-chain aliphatic nitrile having from 16 to 20carbon atoms.

l1. An insect control composition comprising a predominant amount ofmineral spirits and a minor amount of an unsaturated aliphatic nitrilehaving from 16 to 20 carbon atoms.

12.An insect control composition comprising a predominantl amount ofmineral spirits and a minor amount of oieic nitriie, sufiicient inamount to render said composition toxic to insect life.

13. An insect control composition comprising a vehicle and dispersedtherein a minor amount of oleic nitrile, suiiicient in amount to rendersaid composition toxic to insect life.

WALTER E. HALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re.20,689 Bousquet oct. 4, 193s1,991,955 Ralston Feb. 19, 1935 2,037,389 Nicodemus Apr. 14, 19562,205,076 Wortz June 18, 1940 2,206,351 Greenhalgh July 2, 19402,280,850 Ralston et al Apr. 28, 1942

